Head coach and 2024 NBA champion Joe Mazzulla will remain stationed in Beantown with the Boston Celtics after inking a multi-year extension.
Despite so many changes within the Boston Celtics organization, one sideline staple is sticking around.
The Celtics announced on Friday that they signed head coach Joe Mazzulla to a multi-year extension. Mazzulla, 37, is set to enter his fourth year in Beantown and guided the team to its record 18th championship in 2024.
“This is truly a blessing,” Mazzulla said in a statement from the team. “I would not be here without my faith, my wife, and my children.”
“We are thankful for the partnership with our ownership groups of, [president of basketball operations] Brad [Stevens’] mentorship, and the support of our staff. Most importantly, I am grateful for the players I have been able to coach the past three seasons. I look forward to competing for the Celtics and the city of Boston.”
Since 2019, Mazzulla has been on the Celtics’ staff and subsequently took over on an interim basis for the ousted Ime Udoka three years later.
He earned the full-time job in the midst of his first tour (which saw him place third in the Coach of the Year vote) and year two saw the Celtics win 64 games and advance to the Finals, where they downed the Dallas Mavericks in six games. Mazzulla became the youngest coach to lift the O’Brien Trophy in over 50 years with the triumph. The .740 win percentage he has earned in that span is the highest in NBA history with a minimum of three seasons at the helm.
“He understands the job and has a passion for the Celtics that is only rivaled by our most die-hard fans,” Stevens added in the aforementioned statement. “He’s worked hard and accomplished amazing things in his first three years as a head coach, including averaging over 60 wins per season and winning the 2024 NBA Championship. Joe is a gifted leader who brings a consistent commitment to learning, improving, and maximizing each day we get to compete for the Boston Celtics.”
Future Challenges Await Mazzulla and the Boston Celtics
This time around, the Celtics won 61 games and placed second on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket before falling to the New York Knicks in the conference semifinal round. Despite the defeat, Mazzulla is one of two coaches to win at least one playoff series in each of the past three years alongside former Knicks boss Tom Thibodeau.
Another classic answer from Postgame Joe Mazzulla…pic.twitter.com/vR3TkHwGxe
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) June 10, 2024
Mazzulla faces a bigger task this time around: with Jayson Tatum lost to a devastating Achilles injury during the series against the Knicks, the Celtics engaged in a series of cost-cutting moves that bid farewell to several stars from their 2024 championship run. Recently, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis were both traded and some feel that leftover star Jaylen Brown could be next to go. Notable additions over the summer include Chris Boucher, Luka Garza, Anfernee Simons, and first-round pick Hugo Gonzalez.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
